88 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
September 19, 1891. 
they are very deficient in flavour, on which account 
I do not intend cultivating them further, but to fix 
upon the Early Gem as the best berry for taking the 
first place in the market. I would recommend a 
certain quantity to be planted yearly, so as to only 
take two seasons’ fruit off them; as in a third or 
fourth year the plants get too coarse and big, and 
the berries so numerous that they become small. 
Next in succession we have Laxton's Noble, Sir 
Joseph Paxton, The Templar, and Rivers' Eliza, the 
last of which might have come first as they are 
rather earlier than the others. We commenced 
among them nine days later than with the three 
earliest, Noble two days after, Templar one day 
later, and Sir Joseph Paxton three or four days later. 
Rivers’ Eliza, Garibaldi, and Vicomtesse Hericart 
de Thury, also the variety known as Rifleman among 
the Blairgowrie growers, I have always considered to 
be one and the same berry, having grown them side 
by side year after year and been unable to detect any 
difference either as to earliness, cropping qualities or 
flavour ; therefore in speaking of Rivers’ Eliza the 
four are included, and as a berry coming in succes¬ 
sion after the Gem I have never met with anything 
better. They want the fine rounded form of the 
earlier berry, but are rather larger in size during the 
first few pullings, but decline to the end. Their 
cropping quality 7 is almost equal to any 7 berry of the 
season ; the flavour is all that could be desired ; in 
point of colour the Gem and it would be about 
equal. Their only fault is getting small toward the 
end, and even that is not much to be objected to, as 
private families preserving their own fruit, whether 
rightly or wrongly 7 , generally prefer the smaller fruit, 
and in any case they are alway 7 s suitable for the 
confectioner's barrel. 
Regarding Noble my first impressions were that it 
was a noble berry, but a little more experience leads 
me to alter my 7 views of it a good deal. It certainly 
shows a pulling or two of fine-looking fruit, is a fair 
cropper, but the flavour won’t suit the market at all, 
and I fear we must say of it that it has had its day, 
but before five years it will hardly 7 find a place in a 
British garden. The Templar, like Noble, is a very 
large fruit, also a great cropper, and well flavoured, 
but most difficult to get coloured well, especially in 
a dark or wet season. Many of them are apt to rot 
before the colour comes up. I hardly think of 
growing them to any large extent nor to recommend 
them so much as I once thought of doing, unless on 
a dry bank exposed to the sun, where I think they 
would do pretty well, and with a dry season produce 
a large return of good, sweet fruit. Sir Joseph 
Paxton must still hold its place as a prince among 
Strawberries; we have no fruit so taking in the 
market. Their large size, fine glossy colour, and 
good flavour makes them a berry suitable for the 
market and for the best table in the country. As a 
cropper, when they do well, they have few equals, but 
are hardly to be depended upon alone, as they are 
sometimes subject to mildew, and when that' sets in 
the season’s crop is almost lost. With Sir Jos. 
Paxton and a few of MacMahon or Duke of 
Edinburgh that part of the season should be pretty 
well provided for and the succession well kept up. 
Both of the two last-mentioned are good croppers 
and good, large fruit, though not equal in flavour, 
firmness, or show to Sir Jos. Paxton. 
For the later end of the season the principal Straw¬ 
berry grown north here is Myatt’s Seedling so called, 
but which I believe really is Myatt’s Elton Pine. 
It is a fruit which astonished the inhabitants of 
Aberdeen and all the visitors to the good city, and 
through it Aberdeen got its character as a Straw¬ 
berry growing county, and perhaps no other berry 
would fill as many barrels for the confectioner as 
Myatt’s Seedling. I have, though not often, gathered 
at the rate of four tons per acre. They are a showy 
berry of no particular form. Colour rather dark, 
and flavour with an acidity in it which is not always 
_ liked. Still so far as we know at present they are 
the Strawberry for the late season, but we have been 
experimenting a little to see if we could find another 
that might at least in some measure take its place. 
Aberdeen Favourite is peculiar in flavour and some 
do not like it, besides it is too soft a berry to carry 
for the market. Of Oxonian I have pretty high 
hopes, although two or three years is too short time 
to be able to speak of it very decidedly. This 
year especially they have produced an excellent crop, 
a good few of which are still coming on. The 
berries are magnificent in form and size, ripen fairly 
well, even dull as the weather has been, and with 
less acidity and perhaps more sweetness than 
Myatt’s Seedling, I have some hopes that they 
may ultimately take the place of the best Strawberry 
for the latest part of the season. — J. Sim, The 
Temple, Drumlithie, September pth, 1S91. 
THE HERBACEOUS BORDER, 
Choice Plants in Flower. 
Hemerocallis fulva flore pleno. — The 
Tawny Day Lily is now a conspicuous ornament in 
the borders of many gardens, and in proportion to 
the depth and richness of the soil will the beauty of 
the plant be, both in respect to the foliage and the 
flowers. The soil- must also be fairly moist at all 
times, with, however, good drainage. Notwithstand¬ 
ing the amount of rain which has fallen, one some¬ 
times sees specimens of this plant pining and wasting 
for want of moisture owing to its being planted in 
unsuitable positions, and growers who experience 
this are apt to be disappointed at the poor show 
made. When the large, double, bronzy-orange 
flowers of a well-grown plant expand the effect is 
handsome. 
Polygonum amplexicaule. —A large number of 
the cultivated species of Polygonum have white 
flowers, while the rest are mostly pink. That under 
notice must rank among the dark-flowered kinds, 
and also amongst the more graceful of the tall kinds. 
The stems attain a height of 2 ft. to 3 ft., terminating 
in long racemes of deep rosy-red flowers. Blooming 
as it does in autumn, when choice flowers are giving 
place to hundreds of yellow composites, growers of 
hardy plants can hardly afford to lose sight of it. 
Cornus canadensis. —The shrubby species of 
Cornus are very numerous and are spoken of under 
the name of Dogwood. That under notice is strictly 
a herbaceous plant like our own native C. suecica, 
and is more appropriately named the Dwarf Cornel 
or Bunch Berry. The latter name applies to the 
berry-like fruits which are borne in dense bunches 
or heads surrounded by the bracts which pass tor the 
flower in popular speaking. New stems are thrown 
up all through the summer, and while the 
early ones bear fruit which ultimately become red, 
the younger ones come into bloom keeping up a 
succession till late in the autumn. The young 
bracts are white, the old ones rose or pink. 
Lilium Leichtlinii. —Max Leichtlin’s Lily is less 
seldom seen in gardens than it ought to be, consider¬ 
ing its handsome appearance. The stems vary from 
18 in. to 36 in. in height, are furnished with nume¬ 
rous linear-lanceolate leaves, and terminate in a 
short raceme of large and showy flowers. The 
latter have widely spreading segments,, revolute at 
the tips, and of a clear, bright yellow spotted with 
blackish-purple on the lower two-thirds of their 
length. It has been flowering finely in a bed of 
Rhododendrons at Kew. 
Callijihoe involucrata. —The flowers of this 
North American perennial are large and showy, deep 
purple, and often measuring 2 in. across. Although 
closely allied to Malva the habit and general appear¬ 
ance is quite different. The stems are procumbent, 
rising at the ends, and the flowers arise from the 
axils of the roundish or reniform, three to five parted 
leaves. Propagation is effected by means of cuttings 
and seeds. 
Inula Hookeri. —In good soil this composite 
attains a height of 12 in. to 24 m., but great vigour 
does not particularly improve the appearance of the 
plant. The head is furnished with long, slender, 
yellow, and often twisted rays, while the bracts 
surrounding it are densely clothed with long, rusty, 
woolly hairs. The plant is a native of the Sikkim 
Himalayas, and is of the easiest culture and readily 
increased by division. 
Kniphofia Macowani. —MacOwan’s Flame Flower 
is one of the prettiest and dwarfest, although not the 
boldest or most stately. The leaves are narrow and 
relatively short, while the flower scapes are only 12 in. 
to 18 in. high, and terminate in a close raceme of 
orange-red flowers. Those who are fond of this 
class of plants should not omit to add MacOwan’s 
species to their collection. A covering of dry leaves 
round the crown of the plant would do much to keep 
it safe in winter. 
Tritonia Pottsii. — The flowers of this beautiful 
species have not the long, spreading segments of 
Crocosmia aurea, better known under the name 
of Tritonia aurea, but what they lack in size they 
gain in their rich orange-scarlet colour and greater 
number. The plant proves perfectly hardy in the 
south of England, and is really handsome during the 
late summer and autumn months. The bulb-like 
corms produce offsets in abundance, by which the 
plant may be propagated. It is easily grown in well* 
drained good garden soil, but likes plenty of moisture 
during the summer months. 
Saponaria officinalis flore pleno. — The 
double-flowered form of the common Soapwort is 
not to be despised while flowering during the summer 
months. The ordinary single form is also a beautiful 
and free-flowering plant when grown in gravelly soil, 
with perhaps a good supply of underground mois¬ 
ture. The double flowers last longer, and are of a 
soft, pale purple. 
Sedum spectabile. —The ease with which this 
can be grown, and the uses to which it can be put, 
either as a border or rockwork plant or for culture 
in pots, should secure it a place in every garden, 
The pots could be introduced to the conservatory 
during September, or stood about upon balconies, 
terraces, and similar placee. It well repays good 
cultural treatment under any circumstances. 
WATERING & SYRINGING, 
ITS USE AND ABUSE.* 
The subject of this paper is when, how, and to 
what degree should watering and syringing be applied 
to plants and fruits,under glass in general. We will take 
plants first, though I intend the lion’s share of thought 
to be given to fruits, as the bulk of plants are 
treated now-a-days as annuals of the conservatory 
and stove, for furnishing and decorative purposes. 
Therefore any indiscreet use of water among plants 
is not likely to produce quite so much vexation as in 
the case of a spoiled crop of Melons, Grapes, or 
Peaches, or abatch of forced Strawberries. Of course, 
I advocate the happy medium to all subjects, and I do 
not forget that whatever the special feature of a garden, 
whether it be Orchids or Ferns, ornamental foliage 
or bulbous plants, if either are a favoured class, they 
of necessity demand the first and strictest attention, 
the only difference being that whatever goes short 
in the great majority of cases, fruit must be supplied 
for the table, and as free from defects as is possible 
to have it. If the fruits are not satisfactory, depend 
upon it flowers will lose their brightness in the eyes 
of employers. This, then, is my reason for the 
assertion that fruits hold the premier position over 
plants. 
First we will notice soft-wooded plants, or green¬ 
house annuals, the majority of which delight in a 
moisture-laden atmosphere during their season of 
growth, and a light shading in sunny weather. Cel- 
osias, Cinerarias, Primulas, Calceolarias, and many 
others of this class are benefited by having their 
foliage judiciously moistened at closing time. The 
weather, of course, should always be considered in 
determining the degree of syringing, either to plants 
or fruits-, and let me here remark that I strongly 
advise a much lighter mode of syringing than we are 
sometimes accustomed to see. I do not underrate 
the importance and advantages of a free use of the 
syringe on all favourable occasions, but let the free 
use be tempered by discretion. Imagine a man 
dashing at a batch of Primulas or Cinerarias almost 
as hard as he would the occupants of a Peach house, 
for then in a few days after, if the weather should 
be unfavourable, bruised and damaged leaves would 
be prevalent; and yet, he may have only syringed 
them. My faith in the good results of syringing soft- 
wooded plants is to the extent of gently applying the 
water in the form of a spray. Not long ago I saw an 
opposite extreme. Now I think all who have charge 
of Orchids will agree that a judicious use of the 
syringe with clean water, two or three times daily, is 
the very best means of watering whole houses of 
these beauties of nature, with an occasional immer¬ 
sion of the compost, whether it be moss, or peat, or 
both combined. 
Ferns. 
Though these are a moisture-loving family, I am 
strictly opposed to the practice of heavily syringing 
them overhead. I thoroughly believe in having the 
atmosphere frequently charged with moisture with 
the syringe about the plants, and in every conceivable 
nook and corner. Todea superba, and its close allies, 
are my exceptions to the rule of not syringing Ferns 
overhead, unless very sparingly done after a hot day. 
Shading by some favoured means from the influence 
of bright sun for eight months out of twelve is, I 
think, essential to the welfare of Ferns. 
Hard-Wooded Plants. 
Now for a brief glance at hard-wooded greenhouse 
plants. These are, generally speaking, understood-to 
■+A paper read by Mr. Waters before the Preston and Fulwood 
Jlorticultural Society. 
